Hey Y'all- Where did Tuesday go?

Hey blogging buddies-

I feel like I have failed you today and not posted anything. I woke up at 6 and have been hitting it- Just got in from church/grocery and am getting ready to pack up my lap top to head to St. Louis.

Praying that you all have an amazing Thanksgiving. Thank you all for all of your sweet, kind, funny, spicy comments over the past few months. Thanks for reading my ramblings- but most of all for being my friends (Okay I am beginning to sound like a 1980's Christian pop song) :)

I will be on the road Tomorrow- Wednesday
Thursday Thanksgiving at Mom's with Kaylah and Chvana Robertson and my family
Friday- Getting MK Christmas gifts/ PM MK Gathering In St. Lous at Winds
Saturday- Breakfast hopefully with a dear friend/ then to St. Charles with the girls
Sunday- Drive back to Charlotte for girls to school on Monday
Monday- Drive to VA to see a friend who is having surgery

Love you all- Have a safe and relaxing Thanksgiving. Who am I kidding? Eat way to much turkey, wear elastic waistbands, and have fun!!

CMN

Follow up on Sarah.

Just wanted to let you know that the 19 year old teen from NB Canada passed away last night. Please be in prayer for her sister- who is in the church- and for her family who is not. Also be in prayer for the church body. It is always so hard to loose someone in their prime of life- and especially right around the holiday season.

- The lord giveth and the Lord taketh away- blessed be the name of the Lord. Job 1:21

We don't understand
We don't want pain, sorrow, death, loss
His grace is sufficient
His grace is daily
His grace is the only thing that can sustain!

So you think YOUR day is stressful

The astronauts today in space are trying to fix their urine machine that changes their urine into drinkable water. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Happy Sunday!

Happy Birthday Paula.....

So one of my dearest bestest most incrediblest friends (yes grammar police I know that is not correct) lives in Madagascar.

TODAY IS HER BIRTHDAY!!!

I love you Paula- and consider you one of my HUGE BLESSINGS from HIM!!

Happy Birthday- May he shower you presents down from heaven- or at least shoes and handbags :)

I am making you brownies later- and of course eating all of them - as you would have me to do!!

Hugs from NC to you!!

CMN

Urgent Prayer Reqeust

Please be in prayer for a young person named Sarah that lives in NB, Canada. She was walking home on Tuesday night and was hit by a van. She is in critical condition and has not come out of her coma. GOD is able. YOUR prayers can change this situation!

Update on Jessica Marquez- November 20th

From her husband Antonio Marquez - Please continue to pray for her!!

Praise the Lord.

Many things have happened in the last few days. Jessica is still in the hospital. The doctor has said that if she does well through the night, we'll be able to take her home tomorrow, maybe. Hopefully that will be the case, since she is very tired of being in the hospital.

On Monday night, she woke up with a horrible headache. That was at 12. By 10 that morning, her mouth had moved to one side, and she was having severe facial spasms. We were going to wait to see the neurologist, but I decided to take her to the ER, since when she got sick a couple of years ago (with the aneurysm and strokes), it all started with just a headache.

We've had many tests done. An MRI, CT Scan, Some sort of Sonogram on her veins in her neck,an EEG, EKG, and lots of blood tests. The doctor has found this out:

1. MRI showed that there was a bleed in a vein, that healed itself. THANK GOD. We know it was because of Prayer! He says that the MRI looks very good.
2. Sonogram showed that her veins were clear, no clots. THANK GOD.
3. EKG came back NORMAL. THANK GOD.
4. EEG came back abnormal. It seems that she is having some sort of Epileptic Seizures, small ones, in her brain, causing the severe facial spasms on the left side of her face. GOOD thing, she is taking medicine to stop the facial spasms. This medicine also stops strokes and epileptic attacks. BAD thing..the Medicine makes her very sleepy and zombie like. WHEN she doesn't take the medicine, her face has very SEVERE facial spasms, so she needs to take the meds.
5. Her head is still hurting,so please pray that the headaches will go away. She is taking meds for this too. The doctor says that she has something called "cefalea vascular"
6. Last night she had a bad night, with much vomiting. Pray that she has a good night tonight.
7. She has not wanted to eat very well. Pray that her appetite gets better. When she doesn't eat, she gets very weak.
8. The doctor says that she is photo sensitive. Lights bother her very much.
9. She is also anemic
10. Her blood pressure fluctuates. High at times...low at other times.


Thank you all for your prayers. Continue to pray for Jessica. We know that the enemy likes nothing better than to attack the children of God. Jessica had 2 speaking engagements, that had to be cancelled this week, and she wasn't very happy about canceling.

Thanks to Bro. Hopkins, who helped Jessica understand that she needs to take care of herself and stay in the hospital as long as the doctor says. I am sorry to all of you very close friends, that I have not been able to contact, especially you Pastor Copple, please forgive me for not calling right away. I have been running back and forth from the hospital, to make sure the kids are doing okay, filling out endless paperwork, and trying to be a "nurse" to my beautiful wife....

A GREAT BIG THANK YOU TO BRO. DAVID AND SIS. YONDA WHO HAVE GONE OVER AND BEYOND HELPING ME AND MY WIFE. WE APPRECIATE LOVE AND RESPECT THEM VERY MUCH.

Whatever happened to the Kool-Aid Man?

The other day while being silly on Facebook for my status quote I wrote- I wonder whatever happened to the Kool-Aid man? Is he still busting through walls?

I got the funniest response from MK Nathan Nicholls- He wrote:

“I just read the other day that Mr. Aid was arrested in Cleveland when he burst through the wall of a retirement community's recreation room. Unbeknownst to him, there was an elderly woman leaning against the wall, catching her breath after a rather intense game of tidily winks and she took cinder block shrapnel in the abdomen and had to be rushed to the ICU.

Mr. Aid claims that he had heard reports of intense thirst had broken out in the community because of the tidily winks tournament, but police claim that he broke no less than three ordinances and arrested him on the spot.

Mr. Aid plans to represent himself when he appears in court next Tuesday, but according to Mr. Samuel Harrison of the Cleveland District Attorney's office he will face a difficult challenge in that "local law, state law, and federal laws are all very clear on the illegality of breaking and entering, of which this is clearly a case."
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Candle-light vigils are being held for Mr. Aid all across the country.
Another person said that the Kool-Aid man married Mrs. Butterworth and on and on it went.

Now you are probably reading this and you are thinking can you write a devotional about this? How can you not write a devotional on this?

Laughter and joy are two things the Bible is very opinionated about. You have to have joy -it is your strength. Joy is not an option.

You have to have strength to fight. The Bible calls us to “fight the good fight of faith” I Timothy 6:12. So many people today are tired of fighting the fight of faith. The reason for their struggle is because they have lost their joy.

Maybe you are tired of fighting for your marriage. You have had it with your spouse, with your marriage. You think he or she doesn’t love you anymore and you are ready to call it quits.

Maybe you're sick and tired of being sick and tired. You have been sick for so long that you don't remember what it's like to be healthy. At one time, you battled this sickness, but the sickness seems to be winning. So you think, what’s the use, I might as well accept this sickness and learn to live with it. I'm never going to get well.

Possibly you once waged war against your financial debts. But things haven't changed much, and you're beginning to get discouraged. You think that you are never going to get out from under all your bills.

You might be having trouble with your children. You wonder if they are ever going to change, if they are going to straighten up their lives. You are worn out from their rebellion wondering if God can ever change them.

What does the word of God say about all of this? Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" Finding Joy and Rejoicing in him is your key. ALWAYS does not mean try it out for one day and put it back in the box- it is a consistent doing it.

How do you find joy? Does that mean that you walk around with a silly grin on your face? Absolutely not! Joy is an inward peace even when outward situations do not warrant it.

If you had joy last week, that joy will not give you strength today. Joy can only give you strength today, if you have it today. This is why you must rejoice always.
You might be thinking today "I don't feel like rejoicing." The Lord did not tell us to “rejoice only if you feel like it." No! He said, "Rejoice always." Obviously, God knows that you don't feel like rejoicing always. Yet you need to rejoice always because if you don't then you lose the strength to fight.

James 1:2 says, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." Pure joy is not happiness. "Happiness" comes from the word "happen." Happiness is based on what is happening. If something good is happening, then you are happy. However, God says that we can have pure joy even in the middle of our trials. That means even when our car breaks down, when your child has a fever, when you have lost your job, when your spouse is in a bad mood- and the list goes on and on.

Why does James tell us to count it pure joy whenever we face trials? Because joy gives you the strength to fight those trials and when you fight you WILL overcome.
James finally says “Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (v. 4). You see, James has in mind "victory over trials", not "acceptance of his trials." So by rejoicing, you overcome your trials.

So back to the Kool-Aid man and Nathan Nicholls. What did the conversation with Nate Nicholls do for me? It brought me joy. It let me know that today I can laugh; today I have strength in HIM.

Surround yourself by people who can bring a smile to your lips, people who are life givers and strengthen you. Some of you might be in the heat of the battle today and feel like there is no ending. Move into his presence today- for the word tells us in Psalm 16:11 “Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand pleasures forever more.”

That's not me.....That's my ringtone

So the other day Seanna, Emma, and I were in the car. Seanna was in the front talking to me. Emma starts singing "Lead me to the Cross" by Hillsong SUPER LOUD. I am like Emma we can't even hear each other talk. She had her fake cell phone next to her ear....pulls it away and says- that's not me.....That's my ringtone.

Gotta love it!

It is now 12:31 AM- So I am going to say. Top of the morning to you....

As long as we are praying for Jessica Marquez

Please see the attached link to her new amazing blog. (click on the title to my blog and it will take you there).

Please be in prayer for the Missionary family as a whole- Henry Ritchie, Brother Royer, Brother and Sister Willoughby, Janice Hersey, Allen Gordon, Bonnie Markham, Nancy Lassetter, Marilyn Miller, Timothy Simoneaux,Kaylah Robertson, and other unnamed MKS that need a special touch in their lives!

Even though there are many names on this list- we will not be defeated!! God is on the verge of a breakthrough!

Today's MK Birthdays

Happy Birthday to:

Kristin Rhoads- Who is a conscientious, amazing, caring, wonderful smile giving 13 year old today- We love you Kristin.

Faith Jones- Who is a sensitive, fun loving, woman of God, great mother, great Pastor's wife- and a great MK. We love you Faith.

Celebrate life to it's fullest today!!
We celebrate you!!

Well I guess I will answer you....

So someone emailed me the other day and said- you have not been blogging your normal transparent blogs lately. I was like really? She said yes- and that is why I read your blog.

I was like you read my blog? I thought I only had ONE reader :)

So the word transparent...........

Have you ever been a time of deep uprooting to the point of you don't know where to begin? That is where I have been. I guess I feel like my roots are being one by one taken out of the soil so that they will be ready when put into fresh dirt.

In that process there is some deep soul searching
-Some awareness that floods in.
-Some extra prayer time that is needed to sustain the change ahead.
-Some reconnecting with your greater purpose as you know the master gardener has his hand on your life even as he gently brushes the dirt off of each tiny piece of root.

The Lord keeps impressing me that my typical time with him is not going to work anymore. That he is asking of more for me. That for growth to happen the base of the foundation of prayer must be widened to sustain the change he is brining.

I have inner conflicts.

Why call me to more prayer when...
My prayers in the past could not keep John's Mom alive
My prayers in the past did not allow my Grandmother to live
My prayers in the past did not allow me to see my baby
My prayers in the past did not allow me to have another day with Renee
and I could go on and on.....but that is the path that the ENEMY would like for me take.

The path that the LORD- my master Gardener wants me take is:
My prayers in the past have made differences in the lives of many
My prayers in the past have made a breakthrough happen just this week in a life of an MK
My prayers in the past have seen MIGHTY victories for the LORD.

So Today-
I stand -
in the process-
prayerful
Knowing that HE WILL heal Barb and Steve Willoughby
Knowing that He WILL finish the work in Timothy Simoneaux's life.
Knowing that He WILL touch my friend Jessica in Costa Rica.
Knowing that HE WILL do a great work with MK Ministries.
and putting him right in the middle of many other situations that I bring before him.

SO I guess I have come to one conclusion. If the results of prayer do not bring about what I have asked for -it is because it will serve for a greater purpose. His power has not changed. His greatness abounds. His will is different for each individual. For each situation.

The sweetness of his presence in my life can not be measured.
The greatness of his power in my situations can not be compared.

I stand humbly today before him- knowing that I am a work in progress- that I am on am mission, and that he and I together will spring forth nothing but greatness.

And now I am done with being transparent today. Back to the soil!

And for all of my single friends....

You know there is someone out there that you want this message to go to...
Happy Tuesday

Do you know how I know it's going to be a good day?

So I am getting Emma Ready today and she says- Mom- do you know how I know it's going to be a good day today? I said how? She said because it is Tuesday and my Tuesday socks match my outfit- I GET TO WEAR MY TUESDAY SOCKS!!!

Now my brain had not wrapped around that comment when I heard it at 6:12 AM- however I have had a cup of coffee since then. Do you know why it is going to be a good day today? I have reason to rejoice.

The Lord is doing great things
He is Touching Brother and Sister Willoughby
He has touched Tyrell Thompson
He has already and will continue to touch Timothy Simoneax
He is doing great things around the world.
Don't let the enemy steal your joy today.

I went on the website for an update on Steve Willoughby this morning (www.tabjoy.org) and there are 3 videos posted with the update. The last one is Dance like Willoughby dances. I know it sounds crazy- but at 7:15 AM I was dancing in my office all by myself. GOD IS SO GOOD.

Get yourself up...
Get yourself out of YOURSELF...
You get to wear your Tuesday Socks today
Get up and rejoice!!

Update on Tyrell Thompson

I just received word from Brad Thompson-

Hello from Guatemala. I wanted to give you all an update on Tyrell. We appreciate very much your concern and prayers. We took Ty to the doctor today and the reports were very good. He definitely has no heart issues and the inflammation is going down. What he has is a virus that resembles Poloresy (not sure how to spell this). He is still in a lot of pain when he moves too much, goes up or down stairs or lifts anything. The doctor says he needs to continue on morphine until Thursday, but he is lessening the dose. The other meds will continue until the inflammation is gone. They have no idea what is causing the inflammation. He may be able to return to school on Wednesday. Please continue to pray for him for a full and quick recovery.

Thanks and God bless.

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Thank you all for your prayers for him- Keep praying!!

Every Moment....a Blessing

Every Moment a precious blessing:
Just about a year before he succumbed to cancer, Tony Snow, former political pundit, speech writer and White House press secretary, said the following to the 2007 graduating class at the Catholic University of America:
“Wherever you are and whatever you do, never forget at this moment, and every moment forward, you have a precious blessing. You’ve got the breath of life. No matter how lousy things may seem, you’ve got the breath of life. And while God doesn’t promise tomorrow, He does promise eternity.”

How easy is it for us to live in the past or worry about the future so much that we are ignoring our present.

I remember while on the missionary field one I met a missionary wife who had toddler aged children. She would talk for hours and worry about her children. How they were going to do in high school? Which high school she was going to send them to, how they would manage in college while their parents were away as missionaries, how they were going to be able to help them pay for their schooling etc. All of this “stewing and brewing” would go on while they needed to be spending time with their Mom, needed their nose wiped, their beds made etc.

She was losing out on golden opportunities with her family because she was so worried about things of the future.

Maybe we should take Tony’s advice and look beyond our momentary troubles to see both this life and the life to come as precious gifts for which to be grateful. How about you? What are you thinking on today? Do you have a thankful spirit?
So never worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34

Please be in prayer for MK- Tyrell Thompson

Please be in prayer for MK Tyrell Thompson - Guatemala.


He has suffered a lot of chest pain and had labored breathing most of this week. It got worse yesterday and his parents had to rush him back to the ER. This time they admitted him to the hospital. They have had him on oxygen and been running several tests to try to determine the cause of the pain and the respiratory difficulties.

As of last evening they still have not gotten to the root of the problem. Please pray for him. He is 9 years old, and the difficulties in breathing is making him have panic attacks. We value your prayers.

Please pray for three Special MKs today....and their family!

Please be in prayer for the Willoughby Family and for their three special MKs.
Meghan, Barak, and Mikayla Willoughby all need our prayers as their father is going through some medical test in the US. God is able to touch all of them and strengthen them right now!!!

We love you Willoughby Family and are standing in prayer with you!

For more information on Brother Willoughby please see their church website at:www.tabjoy.org/

There's No Place Like Home...

A couple in Milwaukee asked an appraiser to look at a painting in their home. While there he saw another, which they thought to be a copy or reproduction of a work by Van Gogh. It turned out to be an original Van Gogh -- Still Life with Flowers painted in 1886! It later sold at auction for $1,400,000.

What is there in your home that has greater value than you realize? Is it love, or trust or peace? Is it security or happiness? Many of us live with things of far greater value than a Van Gogh.

I was raised in St. Croix, U.S.V.I. in a house that was tiny by today’s standards. It was made of cement blocks that was covered by plaster. The floor was terrazzo. The roof was plantation style wooden beams that were covered by galvanized tin. We had a front porch that was in the front and wrapped around ½ of the house. We also had an office in the front of it. There was no space for the washer- so that was in the garage. The dryer was on the back porch. That did not matter to me as a child or later as a teenager- it was more than just a house- it was my home.

Most of my greatest memories revolve around those tiny approx. 1200 square feet of cement. The love, the nurturing, the laughter, the fun, the feeling of family, the lessons that I learned, the character that was shown to me made it more than 1200 square feet – it was in fact my world!

We lost that home in Hurricane Hugo in September of 1989. Two hundred and ten mph winds tore at, and finally ripped the roof off the roof of the house. Most of our belongings were sucked out of our house and thrown into our yard and some items were lost forever. The windows were broken, there were cracks in the foundation, the roof was gone, and our furniture was gone or crushed.

My family and I were in our house when this happened. I remember the rain was so strong the walls were soaked and the water was coming in through the walls. I heard a snap, crackle, and pop and within seconds our roof was gone. We fled into the office- the one room in the house that had a cement roof. The pressure was so great we had to hold the key in the deadbolt to keep the door from opening. That night we cried, we prayed, we sang songs, we waited until dawn. During the night my Dad had a stress attack (we later found out he needed a pace maker) and he passed out during the night. I held the door for 5 hours straight as my Mother tended to my Father.

As we opened the door that morning the storm was gone. It was like opening up your door to a war-zone. Every blade of grass had turned brown from the salt water. The leaves were blown off of every tree. Branches had taken over our once spacious yard. Pieces of wooden beams from the roof, galvanize, and furniture filled our yard. That day we had lost our house- but we had not our home.

Homes are not made of wood, plaster or cement. Homes are made of families, memories, and are filled with love as they wrap themselves around our heart. The house we live in may not be worth a lot, but the home we have there may be worth more than anyone can even count.

Isaiah 32:17-18 …And the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever. My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places…

Recognizing the Value....

In 1799, fifty years before the California gold rush, gold was discovered in North Carolina. At Stanfield in Cabbarus county a 12 year old boy found a nugget weighing 17 pounds. His father, John Reed, not knowing what it was, used it as a doorstop. In 1802 he took it to a market in Fayetteville. A jeweler recognized that the doorstop was gold and bought it for $3.50. John Reed was neither the first nor the last to fail to recognize the value in something.

I have talked to many Missionary Kids about deputation, their country they were living in, and their families calling. Most of them realize the value, the worth, the greatness that they are called to. Then there are a few that complain through deputation, whine while returning to their country, and wail about what they have given up to be where they are. They count the months, weeks, days, hours, and seconds until they can return to the US. Those are the few that are not recognizing the value, the gold nugget that God has placed at their doorstep.

I recall leaving the field to come back to the US for college. My Dad took me out to Chart House restaurant for dinner and talked to me. He told me that life would be different in the US from what I had known it to be thus far- but that different was not bad- it was just that-different. He gave me the “recognize the value of each place- and know that I could be great in both” speech. He promised me that God had equipped me with that gift of adapting and that I would be fine. Then he and I laughed together as he had a new gadget-it was a sound amplifier that helped you eaves drop on your neighbor’s table- all the while looking like you were listening to a walkman. For those of you who don’t know what a walkman was- it was the 80’s answer to the modern day I-Pod.

I tried to recall the fact that different was not bad as I bought a winter coat for the first time, looked like a dork in my Grandma’s sweaters, and did not know how to tie a scarf in the chilly Minnesota winter. I hated the first, second, third , and even the fourth week of college. I wanted to call home- but couldn’t afford to do it. I also did not want my parents to think I was failing to fit in. By the sixth and seventh week I had secured some friends, had learned how to walk on icy sidewalks, knew how to make a poof in my hair (yet another 80’s flashback), and had found out that I could earn extra money by donating plasma- at the Plasma Alliance.

At the time I did not recognize the value of change in my life. I was just mad that I had to change. I did not want to leave the islands and did not want to live in the frozen tundra of MN- but felt like I had no other options. I thank the Lord today for the opportunity I had at that school, and at many others. For the lessons, the experiences, the friends that I made in that place cannot be replaced in my heart. I grew that year both emotionally and spiritually. I made life-long connections that will not be broken through time.

Many do not recognize the value of a marriage until it is gone. Some do not recognize the value of the home, the value of the church, the value of a good reputation. Each one is priceless and never to be treated lightly. What do you have in your life today that is a golden nugget from God that you may be taking for granted? Why not stop today- and appreciate the things that he has given you. He did not always promise that the road would be easy, that it would be without problems or suffering, but he did promise that he would never leave you nor forsake you. Now get out there and find the hidden nuggets of gold in your life today!

The power of UNITY-Are you prepared for the greatness that is standing at your door?

Duet. 32:30 One could chase a thousand and two shall put 10,000 to flight

Eccl 4:9-12 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

I am not an expert in American History. I think one of the reasons is that I only learned about it in the 5th grade. I was raised in St. Croix and we learned the history of the Caribbean etc. So recently I have been studying more about American History.

Please bear in mind- that this is Cylinda’s wording to US History...

Think back with me during the time of the colonies. In Boston the Boston Massacre had just happened and then came the attack at Concord. John Adams was the newly appointed representative from Massachusetts to the Continental Congress. He stood before the other members and asked for them to join him in standing against the British- Here were the responses:

Rhode Island said- Blood has been shed – but it is Massachusetts' blood.

South Carolina said one colony cannot demand another colony to go to war.

Pennsylvania said- you cannot act in our stead.

Massachusetts finally said- look time for negotiation has passed. WE have to act.
It was taken to a vote and his bill lost 9 against 4 for it. John Adams was dismayed. He later met Benjamin Franklin who introduces him to Colonel George Washington. He notices that George Washington has a black band on his arm and asks him if he is in mourning.

George Washington said, “An attack made on one our sister colonies is made on all of us. I am prepared to raise 1000 men, subsist them at my own expense & march them into Boston.

Mr. Adams shocked told him. “I may be one day soon in need of your generosity.”

Col. Washington told him- Not- Generosity Mr. Adams- My Duty.

Those were words of a great man, a great leader, a man who lived and breathed unity.

As Christians today- We are in a war. We are at war for our children, for our teenagers, for our families, and for our neighbors and friends. It is time for us to stand in UNITY for HIS cause. We have as a church body stand in unity and loyalty one to another.

The Lord demonstrates the power of unity in the scriptures that I wrote in the beginning of this article. He consistently states in scripture the power of even two or three in agreement. In the Old Testament He even stated that the tower of Babel that is an example that unity cannot stop man.

We as a church have to have unity with other departments within our church, with our Pastor, with the vision cast by our leadership, and with it’s purpose. Time is too short to be running around with our personal agendas. We have to stand up for each other. WE are on the same team. No man is an island unto himself.

One of the greatest examples of the power of unity changing things is an example in the New Testament.

The church in Acts 12:1-19 had a horrible thing happen- Peter was in jail and ready to meet with King Herod. The Lord had an angel release him while the prayer meeting was going on. They were praying TOGETHER for his release. Peter knocks on the door- Rhoda –a child is so excited she shuts the door in his face to go tell the others that Peter is at the door- here is what the Word says:

14When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, "Peter is at the door!"
15"You're out of your mind," they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, "It must be his angel."
16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the brothers about this," he said, and then he left for another place.

So here they are in unity praying for his release. The Lord answers it. But they seriously were not prepared for the greatness of their miracle that was at the door. What are you standing in prayer, faith, and unity in today? Can you hear the knocking on the door? The Lord is getting ready to usher in your answer, your miracle today. Don’t doubt- for greatness is getting ready to knock on your door!
Don’t doubt, Don’t fear- Unity and faith will bring it to pass

Something along the road cut me to the soul.....

For all of you who have been there
For all of your who have felt the burden
For all of you who have seen the pain
But have seen the difference that HE makes
This is a song written by Sara Groves after visiting Rwanda

I saw what I saw and I can't forget it
I heard what I heard and I can't go back
I know what I know and I can't deny it
Something along the road
Cut me to the soul

When was the last time you wept for souls in your community?
When was the last time something cut you to the soul?
When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone to touch someone and make a difference?

Last week Sharpies on the sidewalk- this week Super glue on the fingers

I am reminding myself that this is just a moment
a phase
a time period
a flicker in time

Last week Emma went on a beautify the Nickel's sidewalk phase by coloring with sharpies on the sidewalk. Today a little 7 year old found super glue and proceeded to glue it all over her hands. You can figure out what happened next. I was trying not to loose it.

We had already gone through it today as she has to do a re-test for Social Studies but could not remember what section she is on in her book- or what the test was that she is re-doing.

I am trying to stop- exhale and remind myself that this will be cute in about hmmmm 4 days....but today it is not cute.

She did tell me that she was swearing off of all glues besides elmers. I told her that we don't swear in our house (although I was about ready to).

She is currently making flashcards and singing in made up Spanish. She told me the other day since Spanish people didn't know what they were saying to each other why should she care- she could speak Spanish with the best of them I guess.

Okay back to work. I just had to write our my brain would implode.

Hope you blogging buddies are having an un-eventful day!!

Help I'm Stressed Out....

Help I’m Stressed out….
How many times have you been at the end of your rope? Thought you could not take another thing- and felt like life was crashing in on you? I recently ran into a lady that I met when I moved to Charlotte about 10 years ago. She is a business owner, a wife, a mother, and is very active in her church. She immediately in our conversation began to tell me how busy she was. It was almost as if she thought her going over every detail of her busy lifestyle would validate her existence in my eyes. Some people really fell like their business is a sign of success.

I remember an interview I saw recently with a pastor that has over 10,000 in his church. The person interviewing him and his wife- started out by saying- Wow you all must be really busy. The Pastor said- No- we are not- we plan times of stopping in our life. Time to rest, and enjoy each day. Wow- I guess his response shocked me and caused me to think about the “busy-ness factor” in my own life.

Our society today is in a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety, and waste -all based on our pursuit of more. One of my friends and her husband has four children and live in a 5000 square foot house. The ironic thing is they both work 40-60 hours per week to pay for their home, for the private schools, and for the after-school- care to watch their children while they work. They come home to see their children for 2 hours, put them to bed, clean up their 5000 square foot house and get up in the morning to do it all over again. I think of their sweet children who would probably love for their parents to get off of their hamster wheel of life and just spend some quality time with them.

My natural tendency is to be a work-a-holic. This is made painfully aware to me as I am typing this on a Sunday night- an off night- as I am trying to catch up on the MK E-votionals for the 18 and older age bracket. Instead of taking a night OFF – I am driven to get another job done. For my credit I did play “Trouble” with Seanna, and “Lincoln Logs” with Emma this evening.

So in thinking about Stress- and how I handle it- I have a LONG WAY to go to be better at handling it. Do I have my act together? No. Do I have some things that help me now? Yes. Here are some of them. They are simple –but are things that are my stress reducers:

1. Plan out your prayer time daily and stick to it- if you put God/Prayer/Devotion time first- your day will be built on the right foundation. Your life can only grow based on the foundation of prayer that you build it on. The higher your goals, the broader base of prayer you will need. If you feel like you are not reaching your dreams in Christ- maybe you need to examine the platform of prayer in your life.

2. Use a daily organizer/calendar/managing system to put key dates, appointments, birthdays, anniversaries, special prayer needs on it. I put my things to do list here, deadlines that I make for myself. I will even let you in on a secret. Sometimes I put things on my to-do list that I have already done so that I can cross off something quickly. I know – silly.


3. Throw away junk mail daily. I HATE CLUTTER. It is amazing how much junk mail, catalogs, papers that we take into our homes daily. Put them in your recycle bin as soon as you get them. It is amazing how they will reproduce when they arrive in your house- and then take over.

4. Organize your kitchen. How much time have you spent searching for kitchen tools or items in your pantry when you are going to cook? I remember one time while making mashed potatoes I searched for 20 minutes for my potato masher. I ended up using the cabbage chopper (if that is the right name for it). I later found that my little seven year old helper had used it for her play-dough. That was my day of reckoning with my kitchen. Now everything has a place.


5. Screen your calls. You do not have to answer every telemarketer, every political call, every sales call. You also do not have to come to your door when the vacuum salesperson is knocking.

6. Make the most of your waiting times. I keep note cards and a book in my purse. That way when I am stuck in line somewhere I can get something done. If you have ever gotten a card from me- it just might have been written in the grocery store line.


7. Limit the time that you spend with negative and pessimistic people. Just say no to drainers and the Debbie Downers in your life. You know the type that I am talking about. The kind that when they walk in- it seems like the lights just went out. I used to work with a person like this. I finally started answering her negativity with positive comments and she did not seek me out anymore. I find that if you have a negative caller you can also stop them in their tracks by saying- thanks for bringing that up- why don’t we stop and pray for _____ right now. They usually quit calling.

8. Make a to-do list every night before you go to bed. This takes the pressure of forgetting off of your mind. I also try to keep a pad of paper and pen in the top drawer by my bed. You will be amazed the thoughts, ministry ideas that I wake up with at 4 AM :)

9. Find your “out”- and do it often. Find something in your life that is a stress-releaser for you. Some people like to jog, some people read, some people scrap-book, some people shop (I don’t recommend this), some people sew, some people knit, some people text, and the list goes on and on. What do you enjoy doing? What have you always wanted to do- but you put off. This is a work in progress for me. I need to find my out. I love to read and need to- stop and read something enjoyable for ME and not work related.

10. Finally- make laughing and fun a priority daily. Did you know that laughing actually releases endorphins in your body that take away pain? That smiling is a natural face lift? Find some fun people and cling to them. If you have found someone that your sense of humor clicks with- cultivate that friendship. Let them know that they are essential in your life. Most of my closest fun friends live in the four corners of the earth- literally. To have “fun” with them I have to be creative. Send fun emails, have a random text day, email funny pictures, remind them of fun times you have spent together. Let the people in your life know that they matter and they are a vital part of your life. Life is short. Enjoy It!

Lastly I will tell you to live life large. I had dinner with a close friend of mine in the end of May. There were eight of us at that meal. We were in one of the nicest steakhouses in the area. I remember as my friend perused the menu she really wanted a succulent steak but thought of her waistline and hastily ordered a caesar salad. She unexpectedly died in a tragic accident 2 months later. While going through the grieving process my mind went back to that night. She should have had the steak. Life is short! Don’t let the little things become so huge in your mind that they are bogging you down. Put Jesus first and he will enable you to use your time and energy in wise ways so that you can do all that you need to do!

What if worship was like a NBA Game?

Greed

According an old fable, attributed to Aesop, a dog was carrying a bone as he crossed a bridge. He looked into the water and saw his own reflection. He took this to be another dog and another bone. He desperately wanted the other bone so he dropped the one he had to scare the “other dog.” Of course there was no other bone and he lost the one he had into the water. Such is the nature of human greed. In the effort to get what we want, we frequently lose what we have.

Emma's New Partner in Missions Plan

Emma is going to be a missionary in Africa-
She is not going to travel though and raise PIMs
She is going to set up a stand and sell Folded paper fans to pay for her way there
And she will have money to get shoes for the poor kids too

I told her she might want to wait until it gets warmer as the sales for fans will go up!!

Do you speak whale?

So this is my favorite part of this DVD!! Just wanted to share for smile factors.
-Quote- Relax....take a deep breath!

Guess what I did today???

Yep- I voted!! Yahoo!! So glad to do it too. I had to warn Emma and Seanna not to talk about who we were voting for all the the way into the building- while in line, and then walking to the machine:)

Get out and vote!! Make America proud.

You can tell this comes from an MK and AIM worker who could not vote for years!

The Same- Forwards and Backwards-Palindromes

So I have always loved the fact that racecar is spelled the same forwards and backwards. It is my favorite palindrome thus far in my word search journey. You might ask if I have a list of them- Well it just so happens that I do!

Mom, Dad, Wow,toot,tut, tat, Was it a rat I saw?, rats live on no evil star, and on and on and on....

I have not met too many people however that are the same backwards and forwards-day in and day out. I get so frustrated with myself when I become moody, nit- picking, not joyful, not showing the fruit of the spirit like I should. I once did a whole blog on the fruit of the spirit falling off of me and dying as I was trying to get my kids ready for school.

Consistency. Do you know anyone that lives this in front of you? Wouldn't it be so cool to always be that way? John- my husband is like that. He is the same day in and day out. He...and Jesus are my constant. I don't know too many others that I can say that about.

Yesterday marked one year since my Mother-in-law- Bettie died. She was an amazing woman, Mother, and friend to many. She actually died on November 5th but if you go by the day- it was right after midnight on Sunday Night- which was Monday morning. I saw a sadness pass over my husband. Not a "God is not in control" sadness, or a "I want to give up" sadness- but a general sadness.

He was not as easy to smile at me with his crinkly eyes. He didn't find his daughters quite as amusing as normal. I think he was having an introspective day. A day for him to reflect, to have some space and get through it with HIM- his Heavenly Father.

I can't relate to John and Penny's grief. They have been my heroes this past year. I on the other hand would have been a basket case had it been my mother who passed. I was sad, hurt, and grieved, but my grieving was a daughter in law's grief. One only has one mother.

So back to my blog- John has shown me so much about living transparently in HIM. He lives in Him daily. Some people read the word, some people teach the word, but others live the word out-loud for you to see. I am thankful that God allowed John in my life. For not only is he my soul mate- He is a man of God. John's Name means "God has been gracious." In this years process of grief- I have never once heard him question the Lord. I have seen tears flow, I have seen the hurt, and the loneliness in his eyes- But his spirit has only said only thing to me and the girls- "God has been Gracious".

May he continue to lead and guide our lives.

May he wrap himself around you today if you are in the midst of loss, or in a grieving process. Whatever you are facing today I can only take you to the words of the Master- He said, "Don't be afraid. Only Believe." Mark 5:36

General Conference Part II- Finally!